Chapter 4 Greece and Iran

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2Ancient Iran Geography and ResourcesIran’s location, bounded by mountains, deserts, and the Persian Gulf, left it open to attack from Central Asian nomadsThe fundamental topographical features included high mountains on the edges, and deserts in the interior

3Iran had limited natural resourcesWater was relatively scarce, and Iran’s environment could only support a limited populationBecause of the heat, irrigation networks had to use underground tunnels.

5The Rise of the Persian EmpireThe Median kingdom in northwestern Iran helped to destroy the Assyrian Empire in the late seventh century b.c.eThe Persian Empire was built up by a series of three kings: Cyrus, Cambyses, and Darius I

6Cyrus captured the kingdom of Lydia (546 b. c. eCyrus captured the kingdom of Lydia (546 b.c.e.), thus bringing all of Anatolia under his control, and later took Mesopotamia (539 b.c.e.)Cambyses defeated Egypt and sent expeditions to Nubia and Libya. Under Darius I, the role of the Medes declined as the Persians asserted greater dominance

8Imperial Organization and IdeologyFrom Darius on, the empire was divided into twenty provinces; a satrap who was related or connected to the royal court administered each provinceProvinces were required to pay annual tribute

9The central government tended to hoard so much gold and silver that these metals became scarce and more expensiveThe provinces were crossed by a system of well-maintained roads that converged on the capital city of Susa (in southwestern Iran)

10The Persian kings developed a style of kingship in which they were held powerful masters of all their subjects and noblesThey held vast amounts of land.Kings acted as lawgivers, but allowed each people of the empire to live in accordance with its own traditions

11Religion of PersiaThe major religion of the Persian Empire was Zoroastrianism. The origins of this religion are unclearThe most important text, the Gathas, (the hymns of Zoroastrianism), were written by Zoroaster (Zarathustra), who lived sometime between 1700 and 500 b.c.e

12Zoroastrianism shows the existence of a dualistic universe in which the god of good, Ahuramazda, was locked in an epic struggle against the god of evil, Angra MainyuZoroastrianism’s dualism may have had an influence on Judaism and thus on Christianity

14Detail from the first page from Artae Viraz Namak, the sacred Zoroastrian book. Founded by a Persian prophet, Zoroaster, in the 500's B.C., Zoroastrianism thrived as a religion in Persia from about 550 to 330 B.C. There were periods of revival in the following centuries, but the faith was largely eclipsed by the spread of Islam beginning in the 7th century A.D. Zoroastrianism today is practiced by a small minority in Iran and by a people called Parsis in India. The religion teaches a belief in one God, Ahura Mazda, who wages a struggle against the forces of evil.

15The Rise of the Greeks, 1000–500 b.c.eGeography and ResourcesGreece is part of the Mediterranean ecological zone, an area in which all the various lands have a similar climate, similar seasons, and similar cropsThis characteristic of the Mediterranean zone is highly conducive to migration, transfer of crops and technology, and trade

16The areas inhabited by the Greeks relied entirely on rainfall, having no water resources sufficient for irrigationLimited water and limited, thin arable soil meant that the area could not support large populationsGreece had few metal resources and little timber, but it did have plentiful harbors.

17The Emergence of the PolisThe polis (city-state) was an urban center and its rural territoryCharacteristic features of the polis included an acropolis, an agora (marketplace), fortified walls, and public buildingsThere were frequent wars between the various city-states

19The Greeks developed a style of warfare that used hoplites—a close formation of heavily armored infantrymen who would try to break the enemy’s line of defenseThe soldiers were mostly farmer-citizens who served for short periods of time when called

21When population growth outstripped available resources, the Greeks sent excess population to colonize other areas in the Mediterranean and Black SeaColonization brought the Greeks into closer contact with other peoples.

22Colonization introduced the Greeks to new ideas, but it also sharpened their sense of Greek identityOne of the most significant new developments of this period was the invention of coins in Lydia (western Anatolia) in the early sixth century b.c.e

23Increasing prosperity and the growth of a middle class in Archaic Greek society led to the emergence in the mid-seventh and sixth centuries b.c.e. of one-man rule by tyrants, who reduced the power of traditional elites.

24The tyrants were eventually ejected and government developed in one of two directions: oligarchy (power rests with small elite part of society) or democracy (rule by the majority)

25Greek religioninvolved the worship of anthropomorphic sky gods, many of which represented forces of natureThese gods were worshiped at state ceremoniesAnimal Sacrifice was a central part of religious practice and helped to create a sense of community

26Athens and SpartaSparta was a polis located in the Pelopponese in southern GreeceIn order to assure its supply of food, Sparta took over the more fertile land of Messenia and enslaved the Messenians.

27Fear of an uprising of their Messenian slaves inspired the Spartans to create a severely ascetic and highly militarized society in which all Spartan males trained for the army and devoted their lives to the needs of the state

28Athens had an unusually large hinterland (Attica) that supported a population of about 300,000 in the fifth century b.c.e.Athens went through a period of rule by tyrants in the sixth century b.c.e.In the late sixth and early to mid-fifth centuries b.c.e., Athens ejected the tyrant family and developed a democracy

29The Struggle of Persia and Greece, 526–323 b.c.e (Early Encounters)In 499 b.c.e. the Greek cities of Anatolia, aided by Eretria and Athens, staged a five-year revolt against Persian ruleThis led to the Persian Wars—two Persian attacks on Greece.In the First Persian War, the generals of Darius I captured Eretria and attacked Athens (490 b.c.e.)The attack on Athens was foiled when Athenian forces defeated the Persians at Marathon.

31Greek Corinthian Helmet and the skull reportedly found inside it from the Battle of Marathon, now residing in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.

32A reconstruction of beached Persian ships at Marathon prior to the battle.

33Xerxes I (artist depiction)In the Second Persian War, Xerxes led a large army and a fleet against the Greeks in 480 b.c.e.Many Greek city-states submittedIn southern Greece, Sparta organized the Hellenic League, an alliance of city-states that defeated the PersiansThen the Greeks, led by Athens and organized in the Delian League (477 b.c.e.), went on the offensive and drove the Persians out of most of the eastern Mediterranean (except Cyprus).Xerxes I (artist depiction)

35The Height of Athenian Power, 480–323 b.c.eThe Classical period of Greek history (480–323 b.c.e.) was marked by the dominant role of Athens, which subordinated the other states of the Delian League and became an imperial power.Athenian power was based on the Athenian navy

36The keys to the strength of the Athenian navy were technological innovation and the use of lower-class men as rowersThe major technological innovation was the development of the trireme—a fast, maneuverable 170-oar boatThe use of lower-class rowers meant further democratization of Athenian societyThese men, realizing their importance, demanded the full rights of citizenship.Trireme

37Athens used its power to carry out profitable trade and to extract annual tribute from subject statesThe wealth of the empire made it possible for Athens to construct:1. impressive public works2. put on grand festivals3. support development of the arts and sciences.

38Socrates and PlatoThe two most influential philosophers of the Classical period were Socrates and Plato

39Socrates turned the focus of philosophy to ethicsprobed the precise meaning of wordscreated the Socratic method of question and answerHe was tried on charges of corrupting the youth and not believing in the gods of the city and sentenced to death.

40Platowrote dialogs exploring concepts such as justice, excellence, and wisdom.Plato taught that the world as we see it is a pale reflection of a higher, ideal reality.

41Inequality in Classical GreeceAthenian democracy was very limited in its scopeOnly free adult males participated in Athenian democracyThey accounted for about 10 or 15 percent of the total population.Women, children, slaves, and foreigners did not have the rights of citizens

42Slaves were mostly foreign, accounted for one third of the populationwere regarded as propertyThe average Athenian family owned one or more slaves who were treated like domestic servantsSlaves provided male citizens with the leisure for political activity.

43Women The position of women varied in different Greek communitiesIn Sparta, women were relatively free and outspoken.In Athens women were more confined and oppressedAthenian marriages were unequal arranged unions of younger women to older men

44The duties of a wife were to produce and raise children (especially sons), to weave cloth, and to cook and cleanSince there were no meaningful relations between men and women, men sought intellectual and emotional companionship with other men

45This gave rise to a common pattern of bisexuality in which older men engaged in extended social, intellectual, and sexual relationships with younger men.